TfL May Need To Close An Entire Tube Line Due To Funding Crunch
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Ian’s Visits.
This is the first paragraph.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has issued a warning that an entire Tube line could close if the Government does not grant TfL the emergency and long-term funding it needs to maintain the capital’s transport services.
Ian, then speculates about which line would close.
I questioned his fare freeze before he was elected in Has Sadiq Khan Got His Sums Right? and very much feel that the politicians handling of Crossrail has caused its late opening.
Khan should realise you reap what you sow!
Mayor Warns TfL Services May Be Cut Due To A Funding Gap
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the first two paragraphs.
The Mayor of London has warned tube and bus services may be axed due to a £1.9 billion funding gap.
Sadiq Khan claims bus services could be cut by a fifth and tube services by almost 10%.
If these cuts should happen, I would seriously have to think about moving out of London.
I knew that his bribe of a Fare Freeze would end in tears for someone, but not for everyone.
Crossrail: Report Finds Not Enough Money To Finish Project
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
These are the first two paragraphs.
The cost of completing Crossrail exceeds available funding, the government spending watchdog has found.
The National Audit Office (NAO) estimates the cost of the new rail link will be between £30m and £218m above the current funding.
After such a good start with the tunneling and surface line going well, how did we get here?
My main business for nearly forty years was writing project management software and that gave me a deep insight into the dynamics and mathematics of large projects.
The software, I created in the 1970s; Artemis was deeply involved in the most important project of the time; North Sea Oil.
But then more by luck, than any judgement on my part, it was well suited to solving the management problems of North Sea Oil.
The software ran on a small Hewlett-Packard mini-computer with an attached display and a printer, whose footprint, gave Artemis an advantage over competitors who needed a mainframe, for which there was no office space in Aberdeen.
I had first got involved in scheduling resources at ICI about five years earlier and because from previous experience I knew resources would be critical, I gave the program extensive resource aggregation and scheduling capabilities.
I have been told that the latter proved invaluable in successfully developing North Sea Oil. People may have been flattering me, but I do know that Shell used to ensure that all their suppliers used Artemis, so they could check easily if they were being told the truth.
I suspect that Shell and others used the aggregation capability to see that they weren’t overloading the pool of available labour.
Artemis definitely proved itself capable of handling the various projects in the North Sea.
We have now moved on forty years, but has project management moved on to cope with the advances in technology of the modern world?
As with North Sea Oil in Aberdeen, in the 1970s, Crossrail and other large projects like Berlin’s new Brandenburg Airport will always have a need for large numbers of resources, be they men, materiel or machines.
I have some questions.
- Do all contractors working on Crossrail use the same software?
- Does Crossrail have the right to inspect the contractors project management systems?
- Is the upward reporting what it needs to be?
- Does the software the contractors use, have an aggregation capability?
- Do Crossrail track and predict the resources needed?
Someone I respect told me, that a lot of modern project management software doesn’t even have an aggregation capability- Enough said!
I must admit, aggregation and scheduling software is difficult to write, so it might be easier to cut it out and let your clients muddle through!
But The Tunnels Were Built On Time And On Budget!
It all started so well, with the first part of the project, which was the boring of the tunnels being completed on time and on budget.
Observing the project, as I did and picking up information from engineers working on the tunnels and various magazines and television programs, I have to come to the conclusion, that the credit for the on time and budget completion must be down to excellent planning.
- I don’t remember any delays or problems reported in the tunneling. Was that good planning and surveying or luck?
- There were few if any articles on the BBC or in the Standard complaining about the problems the tunneling was inflicting on Londoners.
- The planners realised there could be a shortage of workers qualified to work underground, so they built the Tunnelling and Underground Construction Academy at Ilford, which I wrote about in Open House – TUCA.
Certainly, St Barbara, who is the patron saint of tunnellers looked after the project and its builders.
Worsening The Resource Problem
Crossrail, the Greater London Authority and the Boroughs should have been monitoring this growing resource problem, but I doubt they were in anything other than a perfunctory way!
Instead the politicians were giving planning permission to anybody with money, who wanted to build a shiny new development close to a station.
These projects would need more men, materiel or machines.
As many of these new developments are backed by companies or funds with bottomless pockets to get their developments finished they were prepared to pay more for their labour.
So labour has been deserting Crossrail in droves, thus further delaying the project.
Senior politicians in the Greater London Authority and the boroughs should accept some responsibility for Crossrail’s delay.
They didn’t need to withhold the planning permission, just say that construction of the other projects couldn’t commence until an appropriate phase of Crossrail was open.
In some parts of the world, brown envelopes will have changed hands, but it would be nice to know how many mayors and senior politicians have had holidays in places, they would not normally visit.
Senior project managers tell me, that they would not be surprised if developments along Crossrail had delayed the project.
The Covid Problem
No-one saw Covid coming, except possibly the Chinese.
But good project management is all about negotiating the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.
There is the story of the miniMetro production line.
The first body shells coming out of the automated welder were crooked and it turned out that the machine had hit a motorway bridge in Germany. But by good project management using Artemis, British Leyland engineers were able to get the second line working correctly before the first and the car was launched on time.
With Covid, the Mayor shut construction, and it was some months before it restarted again.
I am certain, that with good project management we could have done better.
Covid is also a good excuse for lateness.
On the other hand good project management got the vaccines developed, manufactured and delivered into arms.
Covid also blew a big hole in Transport for London’s finances.
But then so did Sadiq Khan’s Fare Freeze, that brought him to office.
Could Crossrail Have Part-Opened Earlier?
I often ponder this and others ask me if it would be possible.
The Victoria Line was built with crossovers and it was able to open in phases.
Crossrail has crossovers in the following places.
- Either side of Custom House station
- To the West of Whitechapel station
- Between Farringdon and Tottenham Court Road stations
Note.
- It doesn’t appear to have been built for part opening.
- From media reports, it appears Whitechapel station is the basket case in the East.
The answer is probably that Crossrail can’t be part-opened, but there are good reasons, why it should be opened earlier.
- To generate a small amount of revenue.
- To give travellers and Londoners in general a lift.
The only practical service would be a few trains turning at Farringdon.
Conclusion
I blame politicians for Crossrail being late and over budget.
Would A Mutant Many-Parent Child Help To Solve London’s Transport Problems?
London needs to increase the capacity of its public transport system, as the City continues to get larger and larger.
Current Major Projects
There are only three major rail projects ongoing in London at the present time.
The Bank Station Upgrade
The Bank Station Upgrade appears to be progressing well, albeit perhaps it’s a bit late due to the pandemic.
It is a complex project and from what I have heard and observed, it has been well designed and planned.
The Barking Riverside Extension
As with the Bank Station Upgrade the Overground extension to the new Barking Riverside station, appears to be going reasonably well.
But compared to that project, it is a relatively simple project, built mainly in the open air, with no tunneling.
Crossrail
Crossrail is in trouble, after what many believe was a very good tunnelling phase of the project.
But then tunnels under London usually seem to go well. I can remember the Victoria Line tunnelling and many other under London since the 1960s and all of these tunnels seem to have been dug without trouble. As I write, there don’t seem to be any tunneling problems with the Thames Tideway Tunnel.
Crossrail now has been reduced to a series of station builds and rebuilds, some of which are as large as the Bank Station Upgrade, with other ongoing projects like the testing of trains and systems.
So why are some of these stations running late in their delivery?
If you walk along the route of Crossrail in the City of London and through Clerkenwell and the West End, it is one massive building side as developers raise massive clusters of new developments around and above the Crossrail stations.
The picture shows Farrington station’s Eastern entrance, with a new development on top.
This one wasn’t a big one, but it went up in record time.
These buildings are often funded by Sovereign Wealth Funds, who want their buildings finished ASAP and as they have bottomless pockets, they are prepared to pay more to get the builders and tradesmen they need.
And where did they get the workers from? Other projects, including Crossrail.
This problem happened in Aberdeen at the height of the oil boom in the last century.
I also think that Brexit worsened the problem, as workers from mainland EU moved to large projects closer to home, like Stuttgart 21 and the new Berlin Brandenburg airport, that were both very much in trouble and could have been offering premium salaries as well!
The solution would have been to phase developments so that the limited pool of workers was not exhausted.
But that probably wouldn’t have suited the developers and politicians for all sorts of reasons.
- An uncompleted building doesn’t bring in money and jobs.
- Early completion must improve chances of letting the building.
- Delaying the building would probably have meant fewer holidays for politicians in exotic locations.
Hopefully, a comprehensive enquiry into the lateness of Crossrail will provide answers.
High Speed Two
High Speed Two is to my mind a London local project. But only in a secondary way!
- Rebuilding Euston station will improve Underground connections and interchange at Euston and Euston Square stations.
- It is claimed by High Speed Two, that the rebuilt Euston station will create 16000 jobs and 2200 homes.
- High Speed Two will enable massive development at Old Oak Common, with tens of thousands of homes and jobs.
- Old Oak Common station will be a very important rail hub in North-West London.
With seventeen trains per hour (tph) between Euston and Old Oak Common will High Speed Two attract local traffic?
- I suspect High Speed Two between Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly and between Birmingham Interchange and Birmingham Curzon Street will also attract local traffic.
- I’ve used TGVs between Nice and Antibes.
- Tourists might visit, just like they did and still do at the Olympic Park.
- Many Londoners will join High Speed Two at Old Oak Common.
Some wag will suggest putting it on the Tube Map. But is it such a stupid idea?
Where Does London Need More Rail Services?
Having lived in London on and off for over seventy years, I feel the worst areas for rail links are probably.
- North West London
- South East London
- South Central London between Wimbledon and Croydon.
- South West London
Note.
- Over the years, there is no doubt that East and North London have improved considerably, with the development of the East London, North London and Gospel Oak to Barking Lines.
- Thameslink has been improved in North London and now it is being supported with improvements to the Northern City Line. Both routes now have new Siemens trains, which give a whole new dimension to using ironing-boards as seats.
- Crossrail will produce major improvements in West, East and South East London.
- Building of a new Penge Interchange station, which I wrote about in Penge Interchange could improve routes to and from South East London.
- Hopefully the work in recent years at Waterloo will improve suburban services out of Waterloo. In An Analysis Of Waterloo Suburban Services Proposed To Move To Crossrail 2, I showed that four tph could be run to Chessington South, Epsom, Hampton Court and Shepperton stations.
It looks like North West and South Central London are missing out.
How Can Services Be Improved In North West London?
There are radial routes from the centre of London to the suburbs.
Starting from the North and going to the West, there are the following lines.
- The High Barnet branch of the Northern Line
- The Mill Hill East branch of the Northern Line
- The Midland Main Line to St. Albans, Luton, Bedford and the East Midlands.
- The Edgware branch of the Northern Line
- The Jubilee Line to Stanmore
- The West Coast Main Line to Watford, Milton Keynes, the West Midlands, the North West of England and West Scotland.
- The Bakerloo Line to Harrow & Wealdstone.
- The Watford DC Line of the London Overground
- The Amersham, Chesham and Watford branches of the Metropolitan Line
- The Chiltern Route to Aylesbury.
- The Chiltern Main Line to High Wycombe, Banbury, Bicester, Birmingham and Oxford.
- The West Ruislip branch of the Central Line.
- The Uxbridge branch of the Metropolitan and Piccadilly Lines
When I used to live at Cockfosters as a child, to visit my many cousins in North West London, there was no alternative but to use a bus and take well over an hour each way.
There are now some circular rail routes in London but nothing in the North West of the capital.
The Dudding Hill Line And The West London Orbital Railway
But there is the little-used freight route called Dudding Hill Line.
- It runs between Cricklewood on the Midland Main Line and Acton Central on the North London Line.
- It is four miles of double-track railway.
This YouTube video shows a cab ride from Acton to Cricklewood.
Plans exist to turn it into the West London Orbital Railway, which will run two services.
- West Hampstead and Hounslow via Cricklewood, Neasden, Harlesden, Old Oak Common Lane, Acton Central, South Acton, Lionel Road, Brentford, Syon Lane and Isleworth
- Hendon and Kew Bridge via Brent Cross West, Neasden, Harlesden, Old Oak Common Lane, Acton Central, South Acton
Note.
- The proposed frequency of both services is four tph.
- There would be some stations to be built, but the track exists.
- There would be no new tunnels.
- The route is technically feasible.
- The route would connect West London to High Speed Two.
- There would be little disruption whilst it was built.
- The services could be run by dual-voltage battery-electric trains charged on the electrification at both ends of the route.
- The scheme represents a high value for money, with a benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of 2.2.
On the other hand, the scheme has two serious problems, as far as the current London Mayor is concerned.
- Transport for London has no money, partly because of London’s Fare Freeze.
- The project is not in South London.
This important and value-for-money project will not be built, whilst Sadiq Khan is still Mayor of London.
Harlesden Interchange
I believe that if we get the interchanges right on the West London Orbital Railway correct we can do things like.
- Increase the benefit cost ratio.
- Link the route to South London to make the Mayor a bit happier about the North London Scheme.
This Google Map shows Harlesden station.
Note.
- The Bakerloo Line/Watford DC Line running North-West/South-East through Harlesden station.
- The West Coast Main Line in the Southern section of the map.
- The Dudding Hill Line running North-South across the map.
Platforms will be built on the Dudding Hill Line to connect that would probably be new or extended platforms in the current Harlesden station to enable interchange between the West London Orbital and the Watford DC Lines.
I also think there is a possibility that platforms could be added to the slow tracks of the West Coast Main Line, so that suburban services into London Euston can also connect to the West London Orbital Line.
It would also enable a connection between Southern’s Clapham Junction and Milton Keynes service and the West London Orbital Railway.
Looking at this from various angles, I think that an architect good at designing three-dimensional structures could develop a quality Harlesden Interchange station.
Neasden Interchange
Like Harlesden, Neasden is another possibility for a comprehensive interchange.
This Google Map shows Neasden station.
Note.
- There are a lot of lines going through Neasden station.
- The Dudding Hill Line goes across the South-East corner of the map.
- There is plenty of space in the area.
This map from cartometro.com shows the lines in the area.
Note.
- The Dudding Hill Line is indicated by the former Dudding Hill station.
- The red tracks are Metropolitan Line tracks.
- The silver tracks are Jubilee Line tracks.
- The Southerly pair of lines through Neasden and Dollis Hill stations are Chiltern’s lines into Marylebone.
- The Chiltern tracks divide to the West of Neasden station, with the Aylesbury line following the other tracks and the Chiltern Main Line diverging to the West.
- London’s largest Underground Depot at Neasden, lies to the North-West in an area of London noted for few merits with the North Circular Road passing through.
I wonder, if the station and the depot offers a unique opportunity to offer large scale additions to London’s housing stock over the top of a rebuilt station and depot.
This Google Map shows the wider area.
Note.
- Much of the depot appears to be open-air stabling for trains.
- The North Circular Road passes North-South between the depot and Neasden station.
- The Dudding Hill Line cuts across the South-East corner of the map.
- This corner of the map is labelled as Dudden Hill.
- According to Wikipedia, Dudding Hill is considered a more genteel spelling of Dudden Hill and could be as old as 1544.
It looks as if it would be relatively easy to develop over the top of the depot to create housing, industrial or commercial properties.
But why stop there and cover both the North Circular Road and the six tracks through Neasden station?
Neasden station could be rebuilt into a station with platforms on the following lines.
- Metropolitan Line
- Jubilee Line
- Chiltern Lines
- Dudding Hill Lines
Note.
- I estimate that Chiltern has a train about every six minutes, so some could stop.
- There might be space for a bay platform for Chiltern.
Neasden could be a major housing and transport hub.
- There could be large amounts of parking.
- Road access would be good.
- It would have good rail connections.
- It could have a bus interchange.
- London needs housing.
It might even be an alternative to Chiltern’s plan for a West Hampstead Interchange.
The Mayor of London, Transport for London and the Borough of Brent need to be bold!
Improvements To Chiltern’s Routes
Chiltern Railways have some plans that could improve services in North West London.
Using The Acton-Northolt Line
Wikipedia says this about using the Acton-Northolt Line to access new platforms at Old Oak Common station.
Upgrading the Acton–Northolt line (formerly the “New North Main Line”) to new platforms at Old Oak Common. This upgrade will also extend to London Paddington to increase capacity on the Chiltern Main Line as there is no room to expand the station at Marylebone.
This scheme has merit.
- The platforms would be connected to the Chiltern Main Line along the route of a partly-disused railway.
- The route could be double-tracked.
- There must be space for at least two new platforms.
- The new platforms could easily handle four tph.
- There may be a case for some new stations.
The scheme could add valuable extra capacity for Chiltern.
A Chiltern Metro
Wikipedia says this about a proposed metro service between Marylebone and West Ruislip stations.
- The Metro would have a frequency of four tph.
- It would call at Wembley Stadium, Sudbury & Harrow Road, Sudbury Hill Harrow, Northolt Park and South Ruislip.
- The service would require a reversing facility at West Ruislip.
- There would need to be passing loops at Sudbury Hill Harrow, and Wembley Stadium.
Given that the Chiltern Metro was first proposed over a decade ago, perhaps the concept could be increased in scope.
- Housing and other developments along the route may suggest that a station further out like High Wycombe might be a better terminal.
- ERTMS in-cab digital signalling is likely to be installed at some time, which would decrease headways between trains and allow more services.
- Electrification is likely in some form before 2040 and this will improve train performance.
- If Neasden station were to be rebuilt, as a comprehensive transport and residential development, I believe that this Metro service should also call at Neasden, as it would complement the West London Orbital Railway.
I believe that a review of the Chiltern Metro may mean, that an improved version is worth building.
Improvements To The Milton Keynes And Clapham Junction Service
I feel that this service could be key in improving services between North London and South London via the West London Line and High Speed Two’s station at Old Oak Common.
Currently, this service is as follows.
- It runs between Milton Keynes and Clapham Junction stations.
- It has a frequency of one tph.
- It calls at Bletchley, Leighton Buzzard, Tring, Berkhamsted, Hemel Hempstead, Watford Junction, Harrow & Wealdstone, Wembley Central, Shepherd’s Bush, Kensington (Olympia), West Brompton and Imperial Wharf stations.
- The service used to extend to South Croydon via Wandsworth Common, Balham, Streatham Common, Norbury, Thornton Heath, Selhurst and East Croydon.
- It uses Class 377 trains.
- It shares parts of the route with the London Overground.
I also think it has various issues and questions with respect to the future.
- The Class 377 trains are only 100 mph units, whereas the outer suburban trains on the West Coast Main Line are 110 mph Class 350 trains, which will soon be replaced by 110 mph Class 730 trains. Do the slower trains cause timetabling problems?
- Is one tph enough?
- The route doesn’t serve High Speed Two at Old Oak Common station.
- Is the service run by the right operator?
- What is the ideal Southern terminal?
These are my thoughts on the various issues.
The Service As A North-South Link
A friend, who lives in South London has told me, that if you go to an event at Wembley stadium the route is busy.
On the other hand, I’ve used it at midday on a Tuesday and found the trains empty.
But developed properly it could connect the following.
- Milton Keynes Central
- Bletchley for the East West Rail Link
- Watford for the West Coast Main Line to the North
- Wembley Central for Wembley Stadium and other entertainments
- Willesden Junction for the North London Line
- Hythe Road for High Speed Two, Crossrail and the Great Western Railway
- Shepherd’s Bush for the shopping.
- Clapham Junction for most of South London and the South of England
It would be a very useful cross-London route to complement Thameslink and the East London Line.
The Frequency
The current Milton Keynes and Clapham Junction has a frequency of one tph.
This may be enough for some parts of the route, as other services also provide services.
But many would argue, that perhaps South of Watford Junction, the service needs to be increased to connect the area to Old Oak Common and Clapham Junction.
I feel that High Speed Two, Crossrail and the Great Western Railway give so much connectivity, that between Clapham Junction and Willesden Junction needs a frequency of at least eight tph.
As the North London Line and the Watford DC Line are working at a frequency of four tph, this could indicate that a four tph direct service Watford Junction and Clapham Junction be ideal. Perhaps, it could continue North to Milton Keynes with a frequency of two tph.
The Trains
I am absolutely certain, that the full service needs to be operated by dual voltage trains, that are capable of running at 110 mph.
The Class 350/1 trains of West Midlands Trains would probably be ideal for the full service.
- They are dual voltage trains.
- They are 110 mph trains.
- They have a long distance interior.
They are being replaced with new Class 730 trains, so would be available.
If some services were running only as far North as Watford Junction, these could be either Class 378 or Class 710 trains of the London Overground.
The Connection To The West London Line And High Speed Two
This map from Wikipedia by Cnbrb shows the latest iteration of the lines at Old Oak Common station.
Note.
- The green route is taken by the Milton Keynes and Clapham Junction trains.
- The bright blue is High Speed Two.
- The purple is Crossrail.
- The orange is the Overground
- Hythe Road station is proposed for the West London Line to connect to Old Oak Common station for High Speed Two.
- Hythe Road station will have a bay platform to turn trains from the South.
- Old Oak Common Lane station is proposed for the North London Line to connect to Old Oak Common station for High Speed Two.
But where is the connection between the Milton Keynes and Clapham Junction service and Old Oak Common station for High Speed Two?
- Access from the South is not a problem as the Overground can be used to Hythe Road station.
- Extra services from the South can be run to and from the bay platform at Hythe Road station.
- Access from the East is not a problem as the Overground can be used to Hythe Road station.
- How do passengers go between say Wembley Central and Heathrow?
In addition for access from the West is the Overground can be used to Old Oak Common Lane station.
But as things stand at the moment the Milton Keynes and Clapham Junction service bypasses Hythe Road station and the only ways to go from Milton Keynes to Old Oak Common station for either High Speed Two, Crossrail or the Great Western is to do one of the following.
- Change to the Watford DC Line at Watford Junction, Harrow & Wealdstone or Wembley Central and then change to the Overground at Willesden Junction for either Old Oak Common Lane or Hythe Road station.
- Continue South to Shepherd’s Bush station, cross over to the other platform and then come back to Hythe Road station.
- Go via Euston station. OK for High Speed Two, but not for Crossrail or the Great Western.
They cannot be serious!
I hope that there is a cunning plan to enable the Milton Keynes and Clapham Junction service to connect.
Whilst on the subject of connections at Old Oak Common, where is the promised connection of Crossrail to the West Coast Main Line?
Were all these connections just kicked into the long grass and quietly forgotten, as they were deemed too difficult and/or expensive?
I think serious questions need to be asked about the design of Crossrail and High Speed Two at Old Oak Common.
Why weren’t Crossrail and High Speed Two designed to connect directly to the London Overground at Willesden Junction station perhaps by the use of a North South people mover serving the following lines?
- Bakerloo, Watford DC, West Coast Main and West London Orbital Lines at a rebuilt Harlesden station.
- London Overground at the high-level Willesden Junction station.
- High Speed Two
- Crossrail and the Great Western Railway
- The new Chiltern platforms.
- Central Line at East Acton station.
Note.
- Hythe Road and Old Oak Common stations would not be needed.
- The Milton Keynes and Clapham Junction service would call additionally at the rebuilt Harlesden station.
The current design of Old Oak Common stinks like a horse designed by a committee!
The Northern Terminal
I suggested earlier that some trains use Watford Junction and others use Milton Keynes Central.
Both stations have the capacity and the connectivity.
The Southern Terminal
In the last ten years, South Croydon, East Croydon and Clapham Junction have been used as the Southern terminal.
Thameslink seems to have chosen its various terminals to satisfaction of the travelling public, so perhaps the same method or personnel should be used.
The Operator
The Gibb Report said that this service should be transferred to the London Overground and I wrote about this proposal in Gibb Report – East Croydon – Milton Keynes Route Should Be Transferred To London Overground.
This is one suggestion, but I do wonder, if it should be transferred to West Midlands Trains and run in conjunction with their West Coast Main Line services.
- The service needs 110 mph trains.
- Timetabling and operation should be easier.
- London Overground trains don’t have a long-distance interior.
On the other hand, trains running between Watford Junction and Clapham Junction would probably be better if they were London Overground trains.
Conclusion
I believe that by using the current network and some modern trains and signalling, the passenger services to the West of the capital can be substantially improved.
Tory London Mayoral Candidate Wants Sponsorship Deals For Tube Station Names To Raise TfL Cash
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Telegraph.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Underground stations could be renamed under plans put forward by the Conservative London mayoral candidate for a £100 million a year sponsorship deal to bolster investment in the capital’s public transport network.
I think it could be an idea worth pursuing, as due to Sadiq Khan’s bribe of a fare freeze to get elected Transport for London’s finances are in a terrible state.
The article says, that Dubai, Madrid and New York already use similar ideas to raise money.
Remember, London already has one station, where name was changed for a local business; Gillespie Road station was renamed Arsenal in 1932.
Let’s Be Creative!
I also think, if we are creative, we could make the stations much more passenger-friendly, with respect to services nearby.
Imagine a board, with Alight Here For at the top and slots for local shops and businesses below. Each slotted-in advert would be a perhaps a foot wide and four inches high, saying something like. “Boots 100 metres” or “Costa Here!”
Sadiq Khan Scraps Tube Fare Freeze In Mayoral Election Pledge To Only Freeze Bus Fares
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on ITV.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Sadiq Khan has announced that if re-elected as Mayor of London, he’ll freeze bus fares for the next four years and ensure any other TfL fare rises are lower than the rate of inflation.
When I first heard of Sadiq Khan’s fare freeze for the 2016 Mayor of London election, I considered it a blatant electoral bribe, as the finances just didn’t add up.
I’m not sure, who I will be voting for next year, but it will be a North London candidate.
Recently, there have been cuts to buses in North and Central London, but few, that I can ascertain in the South of the City. Could this be because, if a Mayor cuts buses or any other services in their area, they get incessant pestering, as they go about their business? So do Mayor’s cut, where they are not instantly recognised?
Will Sadiq Khan Be A One-Term Mayor?
This article on the BBC is entitled Donald Trump Hits Out Again At Sadiq Khan Over London Violence.
I don’t like Trump or many of his policies one bit and if in the unlikely chance, I was invited to meet him, I would decline.
But I’ve met many people, who think we need someone like Trump to stand-up for the man on the Clapham Omnibus.
I have two personal criticisms of Sadiq.
The Unaffordable Fare Freeze
The fare freeze he proposed, that must have impressed a large number of voters, has not been something that London can afford.
Now important projects like the rebuilding of Camden Town and Holborn station have been delayed.
He’s A South London Mayor
To my mind, Sadiq seems to favour his home territory over the North.
- In the North, we seem to have suffered more from cuts in bus frequencies.
- He was very slow to act on the problems with the Gospel Oak to Barking Line.
- Knife crime and violence seems to be worse in the North, so is it Mayoral neglect?
It is probably understandable, as his mates in the South have more chances to bend his ears and you don’t annoy your friends.
I wonder if Ken favoured the North!
I do think though that various effects are working against his reelection.
The ULEZ Effect
The London ULEZ currently only applies to the Congestion one, but from 2021, it will apply to all areas inside the North and South Circular Roads.
How many voters, who will be affected by the ULEZ extension, will vote for Sadiq?
The Brexit Effect
Sadiq has nailed his colours to Remain and is regularly interviewed about Brexit.
Most right-of-centre Brexiteers wouldn’t probably vote for him, but some traditional Labour boroughs voted to Leave, so could his support for Remain cost votes.
On the other hand, if Brexit has happened and going badly, will Sadiq gain votes?
The Next Prime Minister Effect
If Boris becomes Prime Minister, this would be an imponderable. It might help or hinder Sadiq’s reelection.
The Crossrail Effect
The late delivery of Crossrail, is not Sadiq’s fault, but it will have four effects.
- The late delivery will ffect London’s transport budget and give the Mayor less money for projects.
- Some people will view his oversight of the project as incompetent.
- He won’t be able to bathe in the glow of a successful Crossrail.
- It is a ready-made millstone to hang around his neck.
There will also be many Londoners, for whom, the late delivery of Crossrail caused a financial loss and they will vote accordingly.
The Trump Effect
I would expect, Trump to keep up his criticism of Sadiq.
Who’s to say, whether it will affect Sadiq’s vote, but there are quite a few people, who would support Trump.
Conclusion
There are a lot of questions to answer, but I feel given the state of British politics, that we could be in for a surprise.
Could we see a Brexit, Green or Lib Dem Mayor?
Financial Trouble At TfL: Can It Stay Afloat?
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railway Technology.
This is the first paragraph.
London’s public transport provider, TfL, is under increasing pressure. Not only has its government operating grant been slashed but a funding freeze is also expected to cost £640m across the course of the current mayoralty. Can TfL create the commercial income needed to keep it afloat or are there serious causes for concern?
The government is cutting subsidy to TfL, but Sadiq Khan knew that when he stood for Mayor.
So what did he do? He offered a fare freeze until 2020.
It looks like more fantasy Socialist accounting to me, to ensure victory in an election.
The article also says this about the future.
Nevertheless, TfL’s hopes for the future are pinned on the completion of its upcoming Elizabeth Line project, scheduled for the end of the year. The £14.8bn project, which will create a brand new line running underground across London, is expected to be a big revenue raiser. TfL predicts that ridership will increase from the current 46 million passengers on TfL Rail, to nearly 270 million by 2022-2023.
If these predictions are wrong, TfL will be in trouble.
For myself, I suspect that Crossrail will suffer with its own version of London Overground Syndrome, with passenger numbers much higher than predicted. In The Scottish Borders Have Caught London Overground Syndrome, I talked about an outbreak in the Scottish Borders, after the opening of the Borders Railway, and said this.
This disease, which is probably a modern version of the Victorian railway mania, was first identified in East London in 2011, when it was found that the newly-refurbished East London Line and North London Line were inadequate due to high passenger satisfaction and much increased usage. It has now spread across other parts of the capital, despite various eradication programs.
But for the Mayor to rely on that, is clutching at straws.
Has Sadiq Khan Got His Sums Right?
This article on the Rail Technology web site, which is entitled Underground set to undergo biggest capacity expansion ever, is a good summary of Sadiq Khan’s plans for Transport for London.
It’s All About Cash Flow
I am unsure about the plans, as it seems to me that a there is a lot of money to find in two years less to fund the building of the Bakerloo Line Extension.
So there is the double whammy of the fare freeze and accelerated construction!
Crossrail And Thameslink
I also think that Crossrail will contribute some of this money and because it is properly designed, it will stimulate growth in areas like Canary Wharf, Farringdon, Old Oak Common, Paddington, Romford and West Drayton, to name a few places.
The same however, can’t be said for Thameslink.
- It doesn’t serve many areas ripe for development.
- As it is not a TfL route like Crossrail, it won’t generate anything like the same fare revenue.
- Thameslink could turn out to be too much of a long-distance commuter line.
- Govia Thameslink Railway’s first loyalty is not to London.
On the whole, I don’t think it will benefit London as much as Crossrail will.
The Underground
Until I learn otherwise, I do think that the engineers of the Underground, may have thrown the Mayor a few lifelines.
- It would appear that the Victoria and Jubilee Lines can go to 36 trains per hour (tph).
- By raising the voltage and installing automatic train control on the sub-surface lines, there can be a 33 % increase in capacity.
- New Piccadilly Line trains will be ordered in 2017.
One and two, should happen easily and if the design is right, three could be a big game-changer.
But the problem, is that although these will generate cash flow in the long term, only 36 tph on the Victoria Line will happen in the near future.
I also feel, that although the capacity of the Victoria Line can easily be increased, will the stations be able to cope. Highbury and Islington, Oxford Circus and Victoria are not mentioned in the article.
All of these trains and passengers will also generate lots of heat and although Crossrail is designed to handle the watts, the deep-level Underground trains and stations were not.
This might mean a route change by passengers from older lines to Crossrail, which could have various effects.
The Non-Devolution Of Rail Lines To TfL
I have a feeling that the figures show that this is very much neutral to TfL’s finances, as some of the routes need a lot of money spent on stations and new trains. But under the new arrangement, TfL will probably have more say in service quality on the lines, than they do now.
Good Design Of The Bakerloo Line Extension
There must surely be scope to save more money in the design of the Bakerloo Line Extension. But I suspect that most of the easy savings have already been found.
However, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a radical design for the extension come out at a late stage. But this is less likely, as because the line is an extension, it must be compatible with the existing line.
The Petty Cash
I think that where the Mayor might make up the shortfall is in the smaller things, that people forget.
For example.
- Expansion of the Night Tube to all lines, the Drain and the Overground.
- Tactical and expanded contactless ticketing.
- Better train scheduling.
- Expansion of the Gospel Oak to Barking Line and the Barking Riverside Extension.
- Expansion of the East London and Lea Valley Lines.
- Extra stations and station entrances.
- Development of Old Oak Common.
But some things already proposed will be tricky.
- I don’t think that he’ll save the money he wants on staff.
- Politicians always overestimate what they’ll earn from property development.
- You can only build so much affordable housing.
- Developers might find building housing just outside London is more profitable.
- The Mayor could have Union trouble.
There are probably a lot more where these came from.
Conclusion
With Brexit and Trump, there is a possibility of a drop in passenger numbers and income, which could derail everything.
It will be a close run thing.
Is This The Most Significant Public Transport Development Of This Century So Far?
This article on Rail News is entitled Contactless export deal will help London fares freeze.
Whether the deal does keep fares down is irrelevant to me in London, as I get London’s extensive transport network for nothing! The only benefit, I’ll see is new services paid for by licencing revenue.
But how long will it be, before, when I go to say Birmingham, Berlin or Bucharest, that the only thing I will need to use public transport will be a contactless bank card?
Everything is now in place for all cities to use a similar system to London!
The only reason, it won’t get used in a city or public transport area, is that mistakenly because of NIH syndrome, politicians have gone their own route, which are incompatible with contactless bank cards and mobile devices impersonating them.
Say for instance Paris, Venice or New York didn’t allow the use of cards and devices, how would their visitor revenue drop?
I trawl the Internet extensively for reports of contactless cards used on public transport in London.
- I have not found one adverse report on the media, although I have found a couple of travel sites recommending using a bank card as a ticket in London.
- Remember that you get the same price as Oyster, which is less than cash, without having to use a special card.
- Oyster use is dropping in London.
- Carrying umpteen cards is so twentieth century.
- How much money do people have lying dead on Oyster cards, they’ve mislasid in old jackets etc.?
- There was a big worry from the left, that cashless and contactless ticketing would hurt the less well off. This Luddite-view has been shown to be totally wrong, with some of the highest non-Oyster use in London’s poorest boroughs.
- There has been a reduction of attacks on staff, as the only money they carry is now their own.
- I have been unable to find a report of someone using a stolen contactless card as a ticket.
The world will embrace London’s model and now, that Cubic has the licence, there is nothing to stop the march of contactless bank card ticketing.
Except of course stupid politicians!
The Anonymous Widower 